Air conditioning system



June 13, 1939. fw. A. wULLE 2,162,152-l l Y AIR CONDITIONING SISTEM'z r n Filed Feb. 27, 1935 2 lSheets-Sheet 1' June 13, 1939.. w. A. wuLLE 2,162,152

AIR lCONDITIONING SYSTEN Patented .time 13, 1939 UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention pertains to 'a system for air conditioning enclosures such as the rooms of dwellings', automobiles and the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an air conditioning system which may be useful the year round so as to warm the :air in the winter time and to cool it in the summer time while making provision under eitherl condition for maintaining a proper percentage of l0 humidity in the air treated. v

Another object is to provide a system wherein the conditioning apparatus may be constructed in individual units applicable tothe separate rooms oi enclosures -and provided with a medium for tempering the air from a central service plant.

Another object is tov provide novel apparatus for tempering the air either 'for warming or cool-A ing and which will provide for maintaining a proper humidity. l

Another object is to provide such improved apparatus which may be so installed as to' promote a circulation of the conditioned air in the enclosure in a simple and elcient manner.

Another object is to provide such apparatus and system whereby the air of the enclosure may be re-circulated in a continuous manner while a desired percentage of fresh air may be added from without the enclosure.

,o v Another object is to provide a simple systemV whereby changes from winter to summer operation and the reverse may be made in a simple manner without requiring the attention of skilled operators. 4

5 -Further objects will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is avertical sectionalview, somewhat diagrammatic in form, illustrating a portion of 40 an enclosure equipped with apparatus embodying this invention:4

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectionv about on line 2-2 of Figure 1, somewhat enlarged in scale;

Figures is a vertical sectional view of a por- 45 tion of an automobile illustrating the application of this invention to such a vehicle;

Figure 4 is a detail section on line #-4 lof Figure 3, illustrating the arrangement of the cooling unit;

50 vFigure 5 is a detail section on line 5 4 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is adetail sectional view illustrating the means for automatically emptying the moisture pan during summer operation;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of a unit installed mer.

' seasons.

in an automobile showing another embodiment of this invention; and

Figure 8 is a sectional detail of a combined float valve and control switch for the moisture pan. 6"

Proper air conditioning of any .enclosure wherein people are expected to spend their time requires, rst, tempering of the airthat is, adjusting the same to a proper temperatureand, second, adjusting the humidity of the air. l0 The tempering of the air changes with the seasons,v and in most climes requires heating dur` ing the winter time and cooling during the sum- Similariy, the requirements for maintaining a proper humidity arediiierent at different 15 During `the winter, it is usually necessary to add moisture or humidify the air, while during warm weather it is usually desirable to extract moisture or de-humidify the air. A third requisite for proper air conditioning is to '20 maintain a certain movement of the air within the enclosure, not only to cause a circulation which will carry the air through a conditioning cycle, but also because a certain degree of movement of the air adds to the comfort of the occupants of the enclosure. v

' Inaccordance with this invention, an apparatus is provided which may be adapted with very slight changes to function either as' a heater or as a cooler of air. This apparatus is 3o also adapted to induce movement of the. air so as to establish a desired circulation. In accordance with the system of this invention, the air conditioning unit is provided in such a form as to be mountable on or near the ceilingl of the enclosure and is so arranged as to promote a circulation from the unit outwardly along the ceiling so that the air travels toward the walls ofthe enclosure and then downwardly alongA or1 i near the walls. -A return circulation is induced 40 upwardly toward the unit and the air is drawn into the unit at the middle thereof and again induced to circulate outwardly therefrom. Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figures-1 and 2, I designates the walls 45 and Zithe ceiling of an enclosure ofl any type. In the figure, an ordinary room is represented. The ceiling 2 is shown spaced from the floor 3 thereabove by the space formed by the joists l in the usual manner of building construction. The space between any pair of joists, indicated at 5, maybe utilized as an auxiliary airV duct whereby fresh air from outside of the building maybe brought to the air conditioning appa.-

ratus.' In the illustration of Figure ,1, the duct 65 metal or other suitable material where the nature of the space between iloors makes such a lining v desirable. In structures where this spacev is limited or absent, as in some concrete :door constructions, such a separate tube may be placed in the concrete or along the ceiling or iloor above to provide the duct 5.

The air conditioning unit as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, comprises a suitable base 9 supported in any suitable manner on the ceiling 2. Supported by circumferentially spaced studs I 0 on the base 9 is a casing II adapted to support and house the tempering core I2.l Removably mounted below the casing II is' a moisture pan I3.

Mounted within the casing I I and within the core I2 is a pressure blower I4 driven by a suitable motor I5 supported on a bracket I6 on the base 9.

The structure of the conditioning'core I2 is illustrated in detail in -Figure 2. It comprises a series of coil pipe sections I1 Asealed at their ends into vertically extending headers I3 and I9. The

arrangement issuch that a tempering medium,

such as hot or cold water, may be supplied to one through the coils to the header I9, be returned to the supply system from the latter header. The coils I1 are additionally supported at spaced intervals by vertical plates or ilns 2l positioned radially about the coils I1 and adapted to provide heattransfer surfaces and .air guides forming between them-radial air passages so as to induce the air to move outwardly therethrough under the action of the blower I4. The assembly of coils I1V thus forms' a cylindrical structure providing a core for the tempering unit such that the air may be forced to pass therethrough and in contact with the pipes I1 and the ilns 29 so that the temperavture of the air is modiedby a transfer of heat between it and said pipes.

This core is supported on the bottom of the casing II, which is flanged upwardly at 2I, to form an upstanding internal ing II as for instance by a plurality of bayonet connections. one of which is indicated at 24. This provides i'or easy removal or the pan I3 for emptying the same. The central portion of this pan-'has an upwardly extending ilange 25 providing a central duct or nue extending upwardly -spacedrromthenangellorthecasingllsoasto through the middle of the pan. This ilange 25 is establish communication between the interior -oi' the pan I3 and the interior o! the casing II and the core I2 fora purpose which will be set forth Adamper cooling unit. From time to time the pan I3 may be removed and emptied.

The central portion of the lbase 9 has a downwardly extending ange 26 which also forms a duct o r flue permitting the entrance of air from above the unit to the interior of the blower I4. The bracket I6 is madeof spider form having openings therethrough to permit the entrance of air at this point. An opening 21 may also be provided in the ceiling just above the unit so as to permit air carried in by the duct 5 to pass into the tempering unit from the top.

In order to provide extra blower capacity for air circulation, the blower I4 carries upon the upper ends of its blades a flanged ring 28, carrying on its circumference an additional series of fan blades 29 extending horizontally between the base 9 and the upper flange of the casing II. It will be noted that the casing II is formed with a space 30 surrounding the tempering core and communicating with the space in which the fan blades 29 move. It will further be noted that by this arrangement the blower I4 provides -a pressure blower. adapted to force the air through the tempering core from within while the blower 29 provides a suction blower tending to exhaust the space 30 and thereby drawing the air through the core from the outside and blowing it out horizontally along the ceiling through the annular opening between the base 9 and the upper flange of the casing II. y The tempering medium, which may b.: hot or cold water or any other suitable means. may be supplied to the header -I3 by a supply pipe 3I and, after circulating through the coils I1, may be returned from the header I9 by a return pipe 32. These pipes may be arranged to enter the device from the top and be run through the duct 5 or otherwise to any suitable point for connection to a heating or cooling system whereby the'tempering medium may be properly conditioned. In Figure 1, the pipes 3I and 32 are carried through suitable valves 33 and 34 to a cold water tank 35.

This tank may be cooled by any suitable means involving either the use of ice or similar refrigerusual compressor 36, condenser 31 and receiver 33. From the latter a liquid line 39 runs through an expansion valve 40 to an evaporating coil 4I withinl The vapor from the coil 4I is rethe tank 35. turned by a suction line 42 to the compressor 39. This cooling system may be arranged to operate automatically in the usual manner so as to maintain a desired temperature in the water in the tank 35. A motor-driven pump 43 may be provided to pump the cooled water from the tank 35 e up through the pipe 3I to the unit on the ceiling, the water then returning by the pipe 32 to the tank. While only one ceiling unit is illustrated in Figure 1, it wlllbe understood, ot course, that a plurality of such units may be installed in diii'erent rooms and that the pipes 3I and 32 maybe suitably arranged to supply the tempering medium to all of such units.

In-order to provide for heating the tempering core I2 in the winter time. the pipes 3I and 32 may have connected thereto branches 44 and v 45 controlled -by valves 43 and 41 and leading to a suitable water heater-or other device' for properly conditioning the tempering medium'ior winter service. With this arrangement, it is only necessary at the change 'ofthe seasons, say

f throw switch S is provided,v whereby the thermostat 49 may be changed at the change of the' seasons from the pump 43 to a suitable heating unit, such as an' oil burner, not shown in the drawing. The thermostat I8 may be arranged with a double set of contacts, one closing the con--v trol circuit upon rise of temperature to a certain maximum (for summer service) and the other upon drop of temperatur to a certain minimum (for winter service). l

It is believed that the operation of this system will be clear from the foregoing description. The tempering medium, prepared by the refrigerating plant or a heating plant, is supplied by the pipes 3| and 32 tothe tempering core I2, which serves as a heating or cooling core, as the case may be. Air is drawn into the unit, mostly through the lower opening to the interior of the blower Il, whereby it is forced through the radial passages between the plates 2li and so as to come into intimate contact with the coils I'! and plates 2n whereby its temperature is modied .in accordance with requirements. Passing into the space 30, the air comes under the iniuence of the exhaust blower 29, which projects it outwardly from the unit along the ceiling and toward the side walls of the enclosure'. Thus a natural 'circulation is promoted, extending horizontally near the ceiling and downwardly near the walls, where a down-current is established. The old air is then drawn lupwardly through the unit and recirculated. During this operation a certain per= centage of new air from outside the building may be drawn in through the duct 5, the percentage being controlled by the position of the damper 1. In place 'of the damper l, a damper may be placed on the unit, as i'or instance, on the bracket I6. 1 t r In order to control the humidity of the air, the core I2, when acting as a cooling core, functions to de-humidify the air by the deposit of moisture on the cool surface of the core. This moisture collects inthe casing Il and passes by the opening 23 into the pan I3, which may be removed from time to time and emptied. When the unit is used for heating, moisture must be added to the air being treated. For this purpose the pan I3 also serves as a humidiiylng device. A coil of pipe 50, connected at 5I and V52 to the headers I9 and I8,'respectively, is adapted to receive water from those headers. A drip valve 53 is provided in the coil 50, whereby water from said coil may be permitted to enter the pan I3.

This valve is controlled by a oat M so as to fix the maximum level of the liquid maintained in the pan I3. As the water received by the coil SII from the headers I8 and I is hot, it will serve to heat the water collected in the pan I3 and thereby promote evaporation. The water vapor so formed will be induced to pass upwardly through the space between the flanges 22 and 25 to the interior of the blower Il to be mingled with the air entering from below the unit and to be passed through the unittherewith. By this arrangement a proper quantity ci' moisture may be continually added to the air being circulated. The preparation oi moisture vapor is positive. as the water provided for that purpose is heated so that rapid evaporation is induced so the proper quantity o! moisture is provided.

In providing for the proper humidity-conditioning of the air, the moisture pan I3 servesv both for the purpose of adding moisture to the 5 air during winter operation and Afor collecting moisture vcondensed in de-humidifying the air during summer operation. In accordancewith this invention, therefore, means are provided for properly controlling the moisture in the pan 10,

I3 during both summer and winter operation.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 6, a pipe 82 leads from the bottom of the pan I3 by any suitable path to a pump 83, motor-driven or otherwise, which is preferably located at a lower 15 level than the pan I3. The vpump 83 is thus adapted, when in operation, to draw the water from the pan I3.v As the pump is located below the level of the pan, it will be evident that when the pump has'been operated for a short time, 20 suiilcient to start the downward ow of water in the pipe 82, the iiow will continue by siphonic action. The pump should, of course, be so arranged as to permit the ilow of water therethrough when the ypump is not in operation. In 25 order to 'make the operation automatic, the motor which drives the pump 83 may be controlled by a solenoid switch M operated by a control circuit 8E and controlled by a .suitable oat switch 86 in the pan i3. The-circuit 85 may be a separate 30 control circuit, vsuch as a battery circuit, or it may be connected to the power circuit which supplies the pump 83; It will beiseen that this arrangement provides for automatically starting the pump as soon as the water level in the pan 35 I3 rises to a predetermined point, such as to close the iioat switch t5. A control switch 81 may be arranged to open the circuit 85 so that this action may be interrupted during winter opera-l tion. In such installations where it is desired .40 to spare the expense of the motor pump equip# ment, the switch tt may be arranged to control an alarm circuit whereby an audible or visual signal is displayed when the water level inthe pan I3 reaches a pre-determined level. It may 45 also be arranged so that instead or or in addition to the operation of an alarm, the circuit 85 operates to shut down the pump I3 so as to discontinue the circulation oi.' the tempering medium and' thus limit the deposit of moisture which 50 may collect in the pan.

In come installations, it may be desirable to provide for the automatic change from winter to summer operation, and vice versa, in the handling of the water in the pan I3. Flor this purpose a 55 n special control switchmay be provided, as illustrated in Figure 8. This is a at switch which maybe inserted in the coil 50 in place of the switch 53. It comprises a conduit section Il,

which is included as a part of the coil 50. This 6 0 I the conduit 8l and carrying at its other end the stem of the valve 92. Mounted on the conduit Il is an insulating casing $5 within which is mounted a spring contact arm 9| adapted to engage an intermediate stationery contact 9K1. The arm 75 by its own resiliency, tends to disengage the contact 01 so that an open circuit is established therebetween. A short plunger 98 rests on the arm 56 and is positioned ior engagement by an arm $9 extending upwardly from the lever, in such a' ing l5 and arranged to engage the stationary contact l1. 'Ihe arm I Il may be of bi-metallic construction so as to change its s hape with change of temperature. 'Ihe structure is such that at a low temperature the arm Ill engages the contact 01 so as to close an electric circuit between the two. 'Ihe casing 55 is secured to the conduit 8l and is open thereto so that the temperature of the 'conduit may affect the arm Ill. The construction is such that when hot water is circulating in the coil 5l and the conduit l! is at a high temperature in consequence thereof, the heat radiated from the conduit'will heat the arm Ill, which, by the relative expansion of its different metals, moves to open the circuit between it and the contact 51. Connections from the arms l5 and III are brought out to binding screws III and Ill, respectively, whereby this switch may be connected into the circuit l5 as described for the switch l5.

It will be noted that the operation of this switch is such'that during the summer time when the "air conditioning unit is operating with cold water iiowing through the core I2, the low temperature causes the arm Il! to engage the contact I1. During such operation, the cock 95 is cled so as to prevent escape of water from the coil 5l into the pan Il. During operation under these conditions moisturel collecting by condensation on the core I2 accumulates in the pan I I and,

. when the level thereof rises `to a proper point, the

` into engagement with` the contact 91, thereby closing the circuit Il. 'I'his starts the pump 83, which draws o!! the water from the pan I3, and

starts syphonic action through the pipe 82. Upon the reduction of the level of water in the pan I3,

' the oat 54 drops and the arm $9' releasesthe contact arm. il so that the control circuit is open.

Ihe pump Il thereupon stops but the siphonicaction continues until the pan I 3 is drained.` This action is entirely automaticso that the water of condensation need not require attention from one end oi' the season to the other. l

When the change is made to winter operation, this switch automatically. accommodates the circuit connections to such operation. The cock 80, having. been opened, the heating system is set in operation and hot water is circulated in the coil III and is delivered to the pan I3. The heat of the conduit I8 causes the arm yIlla to move away from the contact 91 and the control circuit of the -pump 83 is opened and therefore the pump is rendered inoperative through the winter season.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and r 24,the system is applied to an automobile. In Figu re 3, 55 represents the rear wall and 58' the roof of the car, while 51 representsthe rear seat.l The air conditioning unit is shown as mounted on the roof of the car near the middle ofthe interior enclosure. The circulation of air promoted thereby moana provided, separated from the body of the tank by a suitable screen or grating 6 I The water formed manner, collects in the sump 50. This is connected by a suctionpipe 52 with a motor-driven pump '53, whereby the water is circulated through a pipe 54 to the tempering core I2 atthe top of the car. The water, after passing through the core I2, returns by a pipe to a spray head 66 mounted in the tank 59. The returning water thus enters the tank 59 in a spray by which it is distributed over the ice contained in the tank to be cooled thereby, and then returns to the sump 8l to be re-circulated.

. The pipes 84 and 55 are preferablylin the form of rubber hose. and are carried to the conditioning unit at the top of the car through a `conduit 5l, which may be arranged to pass upwardly within the rear wall and roof of the c ar, as illustrated in Figure 3. 'I'his conduit is dimensioned so as to be capable not only of accommodating the pipes and 65, but also of providing additional space suilicient to permit the passage of an air supply along this duct to the unit at the top of the car. The duct 51 enters the box 58 near the bottom thereof and in a compartment 68 within which the tank 53 is mounted. This cornpartment is open to the outside atmosphere through a series of perforations 69. Accordingly, the outer air is admitted to this compartment and coming in contact with the tank 59 is somewhat cooled thereby. 'I'his air is drawn by the action of the blower Il from the compartment Il through the conduit 5`I`and is supplied to the unit through an opening I0 in the car roof. This air may also be provided by a simple opening passing directly through the car roof tothe In such case, however, pro-A Below the bottom of the tank 59, a sump 60 is .by melting of the ice,4 or provided in any other may be arranged to be supplied by the pipes 54' and" or by other similar pipes passing to any suitable type of heater with which the car may be supplied.

The action of the conditioning unit in this case is similar to that described for Figures 1 and 2. In order to apply'this invention to automobiles already in existence and which may -not be equipped with a conduit 61, the arrangement of' Figure 'I may be provided. In this case, the airconditioning unit is mounted at the top of the interior of the car in the-same manner as described for Figure 3. In place of the conduit Il, however, a conduit |03 passes from the middle of the lower portion of the unit downwardly through the floor |04 of the car and then rearpassed to the unit through the conduits Ill and ill. Also the supply of outside air passes through these conduits as described for the conduit Il. Ihe collection of moisture, which in the embodiment of Figure 3 was retained in the pan Il, will now pass downwardly through the conduit IIS and be discharged at a drip nozzle ill.

In the embodiment of Figure '1, a so-called ilat type of tempering core is illustrated. This i8 similar in construction to an ordinary automobile radiator, but its tubes are arranged horiaontally instead of vertically. Headers Ill and lll, corresponding to the headers il and I., are connected by a plurality o! tubes i, which may be equipped with transverse ilns for conduction of heat in the usual manner. lTne tubes M and Il are arranged to enter the headers |01 and IIQ. 'Ihe tempering medium is thus circulated l. through the tubes i" while the air passing\ into the casing Ill, by means oi a plurality ol" inlet openings III, is passed upwardly through the tempering unit and then delivered outwardly along the top of the car by the fan 29, driven by the motor i5.

The embodiment of Figure 7 is not limited to the iiat type of tempering core, but may be constructed in all respects similar to the arrangement oi' Figure 3 by simply leading the tempering medium thereto through the conduit |03 instead of the conduit il enclosed in the roof and walls of the car. It will be understoodffurthermore, that the fiat type of tempering core may be used in the embodiment of Figure l where conditions'make such an arrangement necessary or desirable.

system of great simplicity for air conditioningany type of enclosure.. The unit is compact and may be proportioned for high eillciency in the tempering and conditioning of the air. It is adaptable to any type of enclosure and particularly to such small enclosures as automobiles. In larger enclosures, a plurality of units may be installed with suitable spacing so that practically any type of enclosure may be provided for.

The unit provides for all the functions necessary ior proper air conditioning.- The air may be tempered by either heating or cooling and at the same time is properly humidiiled or de-humidifled according to requirements. At the same time, the blower furnishes a forced circulation so that the proper amount of air movement may be maintained, and, of course, the continual circulation provides for continual re-conditioning of" the air as circumstances require.

While this system has been described as a unitary whole, it will be understood that certain individual features or sub-combinations thereof may be useful by. themselves without reference to other features, and that the employment of such individual features or sub-combinations in contemplated by this invention and within the scope ol the appended claims. It will be further obvious that the various different features illustrated and described-may be combined in any desired manner to provide different combinations It will be seen that this invention provides ai suitable for special circumstances, and that such variation in the combinations is also contemplated by this invention. It is further obvious that various changes may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of this invention; it is to be understood, therefore, that ceiling, a watt pan beneath said unit, means for automatically supplying water to said pan, and an air inlet to said unit passing through said pan.

2. In an air-conditioning system of the character described,` an air-tempering unit arranged in circular form and having guiding means providin'g a radial air passage therethrough, a pressure blower adapted to force air from within said unit outwardly through said passage, and a suction blower moving radially beyond said passage adapted to withdraw air from the outer end of said passage.

3. In an air-conditioning system of the character described, an air-tempering unit arranged in circular form and having guiding means providing radial air passages therethrough, a pressure blower adapted to force air from within said unit outwardly through said passages, and a suction blower moving radially beyond said passage adapted to withdraw air from the space surroundv ing said unit.

4. In an air-conditioning system of the character described, an air-tempering unit arranged in circular form and having guiding means providing radial air passages therethrough, apressure blower adapted to force air from within said unit outwardly through said passages, and a suction blower moving radially beyond said passage adapted to withdraw air from the space surrounding said unit and to project the same radially outwardly into the space to be conditioned. A

A,5. In an air-conditioning system i'or automobiles, means for conditioning a tempering agent, an air-tempering unit mounted in the upper part of the interior of the car, and a conduit housed within the walls and r'oof of the car through which air and the conditioned tempering agent are conveyed to said unit.

6. In an air-conditioning system oi.' the character described, an air-tempering unit arranged in circular form and having means providing radial air passages therethrough, a casing for said unit having a lower central inlet and a'peripheral outlet above said unit, and a suction blower. moving above and radially beyond said passages to draw air through said inlet and said passages and blo the same outwardly from said outlet.

WILLIAMAnWULI-IE. 

